May Magnificat

The May Magnificat

May is Mary's month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why:
Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season --

Candlemas, Lady Day;
But the Lady Month, May,
Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour

Is it only its being brighter
Than the most are must delight her?
Is it opportunest
And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother;
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring? --
Growth in everything --

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather
Grass and green world all together;
Star-eyed strawberry breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within;
And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising
With that world of good
Nature's motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord

Well but there was more than this:
Spring's universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple
Bloom lights the orchard-apple
And thicket and thorp are merry
With silver-surféd cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes
Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes
And magic cuckoo call
Caps, clears, and clinches all --

This ecstasy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ's birth
To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation.

~Gerard Manley Hopkins

Our Lady of the Rosary

O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Toledo, OH

Assumpta Est Maria

Motet, "Assumpta Est Maria", by Palestrina


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Feast of the Assumption - 15 August

The May Magnificat

The May Magnificat

May is Mary's month, and I
Muse at that and wonder why:
Her feasts follow reason,
Dated due to season --

Candlemas, Lady Day;
But the Lady Month, May,
Why fasten that upon her,
With a feasting in her honour

Is it only its being brighter
Than the most are must delight her?
Is it opportunest
And flowers finds soonest?

Ask of her, the mighty mother;
Her reply puts this other
Question: What is Spring? --
Growth in everything --

Flesh and fleece, fur and feather
Grass and green world all together;
Star-eyed strawberry breasted
Throstle above her nested

Cluster of bugle blue eggs thin
Forms and warms the life within;
And bird and blossom swell
In sod or sheath or shell.

All things rising, all things sizing
Mary sees, sympathising
With that world of good
Nature's motherhood.

Their magnifying of each its kind
With delight calls to mind
How she did in her stored
Magnify the Lord

Well but there was more than this:
Spring's universal bliss
Much, had much to say
To offering Mary May.

When drop-of-blood-and-foam-dapple
Bloom lights the orchard-apple
And thicket and thorp are merry
With silver-surféd cherry

And azuring-over greybell makes
Wood banks and brakes wash wet like lakes
And magic cuckoo call
Caps, clears, and clinches all --

This ecstasy all through mothering earth
Tells Mary her mirth till Christ's birth
To remember and exultation
In God who was her salvation.

~Gerard Manley Hopkins

Our Lady of Walsingham - 950th Anniversary [UPDATED]

Stephanie Mann of the excellent English-Reformation-themed blog Supremacy and Survival reports that the 950th anniversary of the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is being commemorated this year.

Stephanie links to a blog post by John Whitehead on the same topic, in which he describes the Mass he attended at Westminster Cathedral that kicks off 6 months of celebration leading up to the feast day of Our Lady of Walsingham on September 24.

Our Lady of Walsingham is the patroness of our family's household, and I have written extensively on the subject at this blog (including describing my pilgrimage to the Shrine for the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham 5-and-a-half years ago), and will be blogging on the topic even more this year during the 950th anniversary celebration. For my past writing on the topic, just click on the "Walsingham" label below.

UPDATE More information on the 950th can be found at the Shrine's website, including a brochure of events and activities commemorating the anniversary.

Feast of the Annunciation - 25 March

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

The Holy Family by El Greco (circa 1585)
The Hispanic Society of America

Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Virgin of the Immaculate Conception" by El Greco

Antiphon: I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bride adorned with her jewels.

~ Isaiah 61:10 (Douay-Rheims)

“Mary’s Ultrasound” Ad Campaign Draws Criticism From Pro-Aborts in UK

Tom Peters reports at CatholicVote:

I’m thrilled to see this ad campaign and welcome all the controversy it is causing:

An ecumenical nonprofit in England has come under fire for their upcoming Advent campaign designed to put Christ back into Christmas. Their crime? Creating billboards and posters that show a Baby Jesus as an ultrasound, with a halo. The ads, created by ChurchAds.net say: “He’s on His way. Christmas starts with Christ.”

… The “Baby Scan Jesus” ads are being placed on billboards and posters in churches, retail stores, bus shelters and homes. ChurchAds has also created two clever radio ads: one an airport announcement, the other a humorous telephone message from St. Joseph about the birth of his Son. [Tim Drake at National Catholic Register]

[More]

Our Lady of the Rosary

O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.


Cathedral of Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Toledo, OH

So, Joe, Will You Be Using Your Rosary Beads to Do That?

Vice-President (and unintentional court jester) Joe Biden is so lame that even his idle, chest-thumping threats are somewhat recycled.

“If I hear one more Republican tell me about balancing the budget, I am going to strangle them.”

sounds an awful lot like

“The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat.”

It does lead one to wonder whether Joe is contemplating using his rosary beads to strangle his opponents before shoving said beads down their throats.

It is the Month of the Rosary after all, and the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is coming up on Thursday. I mean, Joe's actions in vanquishing his opponents via rosarian asphyxiation could recall an important historic and spiritual event: but rather than using the rosary of Our Blessed Lady to defeat Islamic invaders when all hope seemed lost, Joe could use the rosary to defeat the evil Republicans now that all hope for the Democrats in the 2010 elections seems lost.




Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Dawn Eden to Sen. Biden: "Keep Your Rosaries Off My Uvula!"

Biden: "I'm Going To Shove My Rosary Beads Down Their Throat"

John Dowland: "As I Went to Walsingham"

The Walsingham Ballads, Part 3: The Arundel Ballad ("The Wrecks of Walsingham")

In the wrackes of Walsingam
Whom should I chuse
But the Queene of Walsingam
To be guide to my muse?

Then, thou Prince of Walsingam
Graunt me to frame
Bitter plaintes to rewe thy wronge
Bitter wo for thy name.

Bitter was it, oh to see
The sely sheepe
Murdred by the raveninge wolves
While the sheepharde did sleep.

Bitter was it, oh, to viewe
The sacred vyne
Whiles the gardiners plaied all close
Rooted up by the swine.

Bitter, bitter oh to behoulde
The grasse to growe
Where the walles of Walsingam
So stately did shewe.

Such were the worth of Walsingam
While she did stand
Such are the wrackes as now do shewe
Of that (so) holy lande.

Levell, levell with the ground
The Towres doe lye
Which with their golden, glitt'ring tops
Pearsed oute to the skye.

Where weare gates noe gates are nowe,
The waies unknowen,
Where the presse of freares did passe
While her fame far was blowen.

Oules do scrike where the sweetest himnes
Lately wear songe,
Toades and serpents hold their dennes
Where the palmers did throng.

Weep, weep O Walsingam,
Whose dayes are nightes,
Blessings turned to blasphemies,
Holy deedes to dispites.

Sinne is where our Ladye sate,
Heaven turned is to helle;
Sathan sitte where our Lord did swaye,
Walsingam, oh, farewell!

The Walsingham Ballads, Part 2: The Ralegh Ballad

As you came from the holy land
Of Walsinghame,
Met you not with my true love
By the way as you came ?

How shall I know your true love,
That have met many one,
As I went to the holy land,
That have come, that have gone ?

She is neither white nor brown,
But as the heavens fair ;
There is none hath a form so divine
In the earth or the air.

Such a one did I meet, good sir,
Such an angelic face,
Who like a queen, like a nymph, did appear,
By her gait, by her grace.

She hath left me here all alone,
All alone, as unknown,
Who sometimes did me lead with herself,
And me loved as her own.

What's the cause that she leaves you alone,
And a new way doth take,
Who loved you once as her own,
And her joy did you make ?

I have loved her all my youth,
But now old, as you see,
Love likes not the falling fruit
From the withered tree.

Know that Love is a careless child,
And forgets promise past ;
He is blind, he is deaf when he list,
And in faith never fast.

His desire is a dureless content,
And a trustless joy ;
He is won with a world of despair,
And is lost with a toy.

Of womankind such indeed is the love,
Or the word love abusèd,
Under which many childish desires
And conceits are excusèd.

But true love is a durable fire,
In the mind ever burning,
Never sick, never old, never dead,
From itself never turning.

The Walsingham Ballads, Part 1: The Pynson Ballad

Of this chapell se here the fundacyon,
Bylded the yere of crystes incarnacyon,
A thousande complete syxty and one,
The tyme of sent Edward kyng of this region.

Beholde and se, ye goostly folkes all,
Which to this place have devocyon
When ye to Our Lady askynge socoure call
Desyrynge here hir helpe in your trybulacyon:
Of this hir chapell ye may se the fundacyon.
If ye wyll this table overse and rede
Howe by myracle it was founded indede.

A noble wydowe, somtyme lady of this towne,
Called Rychold, in lyvynge full vertuous,
Desyred of Oure Lady a petycyowne
Hir to honoure with some werke bountyous,
This blyssed Virgyn and Lady most gracyous
Graunted hir petycyon, as I shall after tell,
Unto hir worschyp to edefye this chapell.

In spyryte Our Lady to Nazareth hir led
And shewed hir the place where Gabryel hir grette:
"Lo doughter, consyder" to hir Oure Lady sayde,
" Of thys place take thou suerly the mette,
Another lyke thys at Walsyngham thou sette
Unto my laude and synguler honoure;
All that me seke there shall fynde socoure,

Where shall be hadde in a memoryall
The great joy of my salutacyon.
Fyrste of my joys grounde and orygynall
Rote of mankyndes gracious redempcyon,
When Gabryell gave to me relacyon
To be a moder through humylyte.
And goddys sonne conceyve in virgynyte"

This visyon shewed thryse to this devout woman.
In mynde well she marked both length and brede;
She was full gladde and thanked Oure Lady than
Of hir great grace never destytute in nede.
This forsayd hous in haste she thought to spede,
Called to hir artyfycers full wyse,
This chapell to forge as Our Lady dyd devyse.

All this, a medewe wete with dropes celestyall
And with sylver dewe sent from hye adowne
Excepte tho tweyne places chosen above all
Where neyther moyster ne dewe myght be fowne.
This was the fyrste pronostycacyowne
Howe this our newe Nazareth here shold stande,
Bylded lyke the fyrste in the Holy Lande.

Whan it was al fourmed, than had she great doute
Where it shold be sette and in what maner place,
Inasmoche as tweyne places were founde oute
Tokened with myracle of Our Ladyes grace;
That is to say, tweyne quadrates of egall space
As the flees of Gedeon in the wete beynge drye,
Assygned by myracle of holy mayde Marye.

The wydowe thought it most lykly of congruence
This house on the fyrste soyle to bylde and arere.
Of this who lyste to have experyence,
A chapell of saynt Laurence standeth nowe there
Faste by tweyne wells, experyence doth thus lere,
There she thought to have set this chapell
Which was begonne by Our Ladyes counsell.

The carpenters began to set the fundamente
This hevenly house to arere up on hye,
But sone their werkes shewed inconvenyente.
For no pece with oder wolde agre with geometrye;
Than were they all sory and full of agonye
That they could nat ken neither mesure ne marke
To ioyne togyder their owne proper werke.

They went to reste and layde all thynge on syde,
As they on their maystresse had a commaundement;
She thought Our Lady, that fyrste was hir gyde,
Wold convey this worke aftyr hir owne entent;
Hir meyny to reste as for that nyght she sente
And prayed Our Lady with devoute exclamacyon,
And as she had begonne, to perfowrme that habytacion.

All nyghte the wydowe remayninge in this prayer,
Oure blyssed Lady, with hevenly mynystrys,
Hirsylfe beynge here chyef artyfycer,
Arerid this sayd house with aungellys handys,
And nat only reyrd it but set it there it is,
That is, two hundred fote and more in dystaunce
From the fyrste place bokes make remembraunce.

Erly whan the artyfycers cam to their travayle
Of this sayd chapell to have made an ende,
They founde eche parte conjoyned sauns fayle
Better than they coude conceyve it in mynde;
Thus eche man home agayne dyd wynde,
And this holy matrone thanked Oure Lady
Of hir great grace shewyd here specyally.

And syth here Our Lady hath shewyd many myracle
Innumerable, nowe here for to expresse
To suche as visyte thys hir habytacle.
Ever lyke newe to them that call hir in dystrsse.
Foure hundreth yere and more the cronacle to witnes
Hath endured this notable pylgrymage,
Where grace is dayly shewyd to men of every age.

Many seke ben here cured by Our Ladyes myghte
Dede agayne revyved, of this is no dought,
Lame made hole and blynde restored to syghte,
Maryners vexed with tempest safe to porte brought
Defe, wounded and lunatyke that hyder have sought
And also lepers here recovered have be
By Oure Ladyes grace of their infyrmyte.

Folke that of fendys have had acombraunce
And of wycked spyrytes also moche vexacyon
Have here be delyvered from every such chaunce,
And soules greatly vexed with gostely temptacion,
Lo. here the chyef solace agaynst all tribulacyon
To all that be seke, bodely or goostly,
Callynge to Oure Lady devoutly.

Therfore every pylgryme gyve your attendaunce
Our Lady here to serve with humble affeccyon.
Your sylfe ye applye to do hir plesaunce.
Remembrynge the great joye of hir Annunciacion.
Therwyth concevynge this brief complacyon.
Though it halte in meter and eloquence.
It is here wryten to do hyr reverence.

All lettred that wyll have more intellygence
Of the fundacyon of this chapell here,
If you wyll aske bokes shall you encence
More clerely to undersclnde this forsayd matere;
To you shall declare the cronyclere
All cyrcumstaunce by a noble processe
Howe olde cronyclers of thys bere wytnesse.

O Englonde, great cause thou haste glad for to be,
Compared to the londe of promys syon,
Thou atteynest my grace to stande in that degre
Through this gloryous Ladyes supportacyon,
To be called in every realme and regyon
The holy lande, Oure Ladyes dowre;
Thus arte thou named of olde antyquyte.

And this is the cause, as it apereth by lyklynesse,
In the is belded newe Nazareth, a mancyon
To the honoure of the hevenly empresse
And of hir moste gloryous salutacyon,
Chyef pryncypyll and grounde of oure salvacyon,
Whan Gabryell sayd at olde Nazereth 'Ave',
This joy here dayly remembred for to be.

O gracyous Lady, glory of Jerusalem,
Cypresse of Syon and Joye of Israel,
Rose of Jeryco and Sterre of Bethleem,
O gloryous Lady, our askynge nat repell,
In mercy all wymen ever thou doste excell,
Therfore, blissed Lady, graunt thou thy great grace
To all that the devoutly visyte in this place.

Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham - 24 September

[Originally posted on 24 September 2006, and updated on 24 September 2007, 24 September 2008, and 24 September 2010]




Pilgrimage to the Land Known as "Our Lady's Dowry"


O England great cause thou hast glad for to be
Compared to the land of promise Sion
To be called in every realm and region
The Holy Land, Our Lady's Dowry ...


Five years ago today - on the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, I was on pilgrimmage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in the picturesque village of Little Walsingham in Norfolk, East Anglia, England.

The Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Walsingham is the patroness of England (as well as the Anderson household).


Historical Background

Walsingham has been a place of pilgrimage since medieval times. At one time, it was ranked among the 3 most important pilgrimage sites in Europe, along with Santiago de Compostela and Rome.

The original Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham was founded in 1061 by Richeldis de Faverches, who was taken in spirit to Nazareth and asked by Our Lady to build a replica, in Norfolk, of the Holy House of the Annunciation. The Shrine of the Holy House stood for almost 500 years as a place of devotion to the Holy Virgin Mother of God and the Incarnation of Her Son, before it was destroyed by Henry VIII at the Reformation.

"Many barren years passed until the Slipper Chapel, a 14th century wayside pilgrim chapel just outside the village of Little Walsingham, was restored and pilgrimage to Walsingham in honor of Our Blessed Lady began once more." Originally dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, this wayside chapel had served medieval pilgrims on their way to England's Nazareth. Just as on Mount Sinai Moses took off his shoes because he was on holy ground, so pilgrims used to remove their shoes at the Slipper Chapel (hence, its name) and walk the Holy Mile into Walsingham barefoot.

In 1934, the English Bishops named the Slipper Chapel the Roman Catholic National Shrine of Our Lady. The Slipper Chapel's first Mass since the Reformation was celebrated there on August 15, 1934, and on September 8, 1938, the Shrine was re-consecrated by the local Bishop.

The most important image in the Chapel is the Statue of Our Lady of Walsingham.



From the Women for Faith & Family website:

Our Lady of Walsingham
by Raven Wenner
Our Lady of Walsingham Church
Houston Texas

In AD 2000, The Holy Father John Paul II decreed that the feast of Our Lady of Walsingham, mediaeval patroness of England, and in modern times patroness of all English-speaking peoples, is now celebrated on September 24th in England. It is a solemnity for all parishes in any part of the world named for Our Lady under this title.

Our Lady of Walsingham was formerly celebrated on March 25th, "Lady Day" (Feast of the Annunciation), but for ecumenical considerations was moved to September 24th. (September 24 in England had been the feast of Our Lady of Ransom, who was entreated for the re-conversion of England, "Our Lady's Dowery".

The feast of Our Lady of Walsingham was celebrated for the first time on the new date in 2001. The feast of the Annunciation is increasingly celebrated as a pro-life feast, considering children in the womb; Our Lady of Walsingham's feast asks us to contemplate the joy of the Incarnation in the simple family life of the Holy Family at Nazareth. The new date and emphasis on this feast is timely considering how family life is under attack in Western culture.

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Our Lady of Walsingham
by Joanna Bogle
Voices' Contributing Editor

Walsingham is England’s national shrine to Our Lady, and a major place of pilgrimage and prayer. It is in Norfolk, a few miles from the North Sea, and is a small village set in the green countryside characteristic of this corner of Britain. The shrine dates back to the 12th century, when the local lady of the manor, Richeldis, had a vision of the Holy House – the home of the Holy family at Nazareth – on this spot. For centuries, pilgrims visited here and Our Lady of Walsingham was honoured with countless processions and prayers. Springs of water – they still exist today – were said to have healing powers. A great priory drew men who devoted themselves to the religious life. At the shrine itself, the image was always surrounded by candles, flowers, and gifts left by grateful pilgrims who had knelt there in prayer.

In the early 16th century, among those who came were the young king Henry, and his wife Catherine. They were praying that God would grant them a son. England had seen terrifying wars in an earlier generation as the houses of Lancaster and York battled out their struggle for supremacy, and now stability was needed for the new ruling house of Tudor. It was not to be. Catherine bore several children, but all died in infancy except one daughter, Mary. Henry, angry and disappointed, decided to marry his mistress Anne Boleyn. He sought an annulment of his marriage through the Church, but failed to obtain it. Divorcing Catherine unilaterally, he married Anne – who by then was carrying his child – and announced himself head of the Church. The Lord Chancellor, Thomas More, and the Bishop of Rochester, John Fisher, were beheaded at the Tower of London in 1534 for refusing to affirm him in his claims, maintaining instead that only the Pope, the successor of Saint Peter, could hold that office. . Needing funds, Henry turned on the Church and crushed monasteries and priories. On the excuse of its being idolatrous, the shrine at Walsingham was destroyed and the statue burned. For some 400 years, there were no more pilgrimages, processions, or signs of devotion to Mary in this quiet village.

The shrine was revived in the early 20th century – an Anglican vicar researched the history and re-created the Holy House in a new shrine, and a Catholic lady obtained the old “Slipper Chapel” just outside the village and this became the revived Catholic centre of devotion. Today, there are pilgrimages throughout the summer and the Catholic shrine has its own large church built of attractive local stone. Pilgrims pray and sing as they walk the “Holy Mile” – traditionally barefoot – from the village. Schools, parish groups, Catholic organisations – all come with their banners and their choirs, their sandwiches and their children, to greet Our Lady at a place which combines the pleasures of unusually beautiful countryside with an atmosphere of real devotion and joy. Some groups stay for days – a local farmer rents out fields in which large groups of young pilgrims and families can camp – and in recent years Walsingham has seen a revival of Eucharistic adoration and confession, promoted by “Youth 2000”, a major initiative of the “John Paul 11 generation”.

When Pope John Paul visited Britain in 1982 the image of Our Lady of Walsingham was brought to London where it was the centrepiece of a major rally attended by the Holy Father. Many Catholic families, churches and schools, have copies of the image: it is an unusual one in which Mary is seen seated, as a dignified queen wearing a simple Saxon-style crown and carrying the Christ-child seated upright on her lap. Honour to Our Lady of Walsingham is linked to prayer that the people of England may once again return to the practice of the Catholic Faith: Our Lady of Walsinghan, pray for us!

From the September 2007 issue of the Walsingham Newletter:

... The message of Walsingham, from the very beginning, has been the message of the Incarnation. "The Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us." Pilgrimage is a great way of expressing the idea that God came to share our human life, it is a sign that we are journeying ever closer to God and in this way it is sacramental. It reminds us that we can meet God in our everyday lives and not only in church. Mary, who attended to the human needs of her Son and walked with him on his journey from Galilee to Jerusalem and the cross, will join us on our journey. In relating Mary to the Eucharist Pope Benedict finishes by saying "She is the Immaculata, who receives God's gift unconditionally and is thus associated with his work of salvation. Mary of Nazareth, icon of the nascent Church, is the model for each of us, called to receive the gift that Jesus makes of himself in the Eucharist."

~ Noel Wynn S.M.

From the Medieval Saints Yahoo Group:

Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham

Also known as Virgin by the Sea, site also known as England's Nazareth

Shrine established in 1061, priory in 1150

Commemorated September 24

"Let all who are in any way distressed or in need seek me there in that small house that you maintain for me at Walsingham. To all that seek me there shall be given succour."

Until the martyrdom of St. Thomas a Becket at Canterbury in 1170, Walsingham was England's most celebrated and visited shrine. Many miracles were attributed to Our Lady of Walsingham, including one in which Kind Edward I was saved from a piece of falling masonry. There constructed shrine was recently voted England's favourite spiritual place in a poll of BBC Radio 4 listeners.


Our Lady of Walsingham
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/mary0018.htm

In 1061 Lady Richeldis de Faverches, lady of the manor near the village of Walsingham, Norfolk, England, was taken in spirit to Nazareth. There Our Lady asked her to build a replica, in Norfolk, of the Holy House where she had been born, grew up, and received the Annunciation of Christ's impending birth. She immediately did, constructing a house 23'6" by 12'10" according to the plan given her. Its fame slowly spread, and in 1150 a group of Augustinian Canons built a priory beside it. Its fame continued to grow, and for centuries it was a point of pilgrimage for all classes, the recipient of many expensive gifts.

In 1534 Walsingham became one of the first houses to sign the Oath of Supremacy, recognizing Henry VIII as head of the Church in England. Dissenters were executed, and in 1538 the House was stripped of its valuables, its statue of the Virgin taken to London to be burned, its buildings used as farm sheds for the next three centuries.

In 1896 Charlotte Boyd purchased the Slipper Chapel and donated it to Downside Abbey. In 1897 Pope Leo XIII re-founded the ancient shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and pilgrimages are permitted to resume. The statue of Our Lady is enshrined in 1922 beginning an era of cooperation at the shrine between Catholics and Anglicans. In 1981 construction began on the Chapel of Reconciliation, a cooperative effort between the two confessions, and located near the shrine. The feast of Our Lady of Walsingham was reinstated in 2000.

-----------------

Walsingham Priory
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15543a.htm

Walsingham Priory stood a few miles from the sea in the northern part of Norfolk, England. Founded in the time of Edward the Confessor, the chapel of Our Lady of Walsingham was confirmed to the Augustinian Canons a century later and enclosed within the priory. From the first this shrine of Our Lady was a famous place of pilgrimage. Hither came the faithful from all parts of England and from the continent until the destruction of the priory by Henry VIII in 1538. To this day the main road of the pilgrims through Newmarket, Brandon, and Fakenham is still called the Palmers' Way.

Many were the gifts of lands, rents, and churches to the canons of Walsingham, and many the miracles wrought at Our Lady's shrine. Henry III came on a pilgrimage to Walsingham in 1241, Edward I in 1280 and 1296, Edward II in 1315, Henry VI in 1455, Henry VII in 1487, and Henry VIII in 1513. Erasmus in fulfilment of a vow made a pilgrimage from Cambridge in 1511, and left as his offering a set of Greek verses expressive of his piety. Thirteen years later he wrote his colloquy on pilgrimages, wherein the wealth and magnificence of Walsingham are set forth, and some of the reputed miracles rationalized.

In 1537 while the last prior, Richard Vowell, was paying obsequious respect to Cromwell, the sub-prior Nicholas Milcham was charged with conspiring to rebel against the suppression of the lesser monasteries, and on flimsy evidence was convicted of high treason and hanged outside the priory walls. In July, 1538, Prior Vowell assented to the destruction of Walsingham Priory and assisted the king's commissioners in the removal of the figure of Our Lady, of many of the gold and silver ornaments and in the general spoliation of the shrine. For his ready compliance the prior received a pension of 100 pounds a year, a large sum in those days, while fifteen of the canons received pensions varying from 4 pounds to 6 pounds. The shrine dismantled, and the priory destroyed, its site was sold by order of Henry VIII to one Thomas Sidney for 90 pounds, and a private mansion was subsequently erected on the spot.

The Elizabethan ballad, "A Lament for Walsingham," expresses something of what the Norfolk people felt at the loss of their glorious shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham.
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More on Our Lady of Walsingham at:http://www.udayton.edu/mary/resources/walsh.html
http://www.walsingham-church.org/
http://www.walsingham.org.uk/

The Prayer of the Feast: Lord God, in the mystery of the Incarnation, Mary conceived your Son in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb. As we, your pilgrim people, rejoice in her patronage, grant that we also may welcome Him into our hearts, and so, like her, be made a holy house fit for His eternal dwelling. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.






Our Lady of Walsingham,
pray for us.







Links:Official Shrine Site
The Virgin by the Sea; Our Lady of Walsingham (University of Dayton)
Patron Saints Index: Our Lady of Walsingham
Our Lady of Walsingham (MaryPages.com)
Our Lady of Walsingham Catholic Church (Anglican Use) - Houston, TX
Orthodox Christian Society of Our Lady of Walsingham
Fr. Finigan's Walsingham posts at The Hermeneutic of Continuity
(NB: I happened to meet Fr. Finigan while on my pilgrimage 5 years ago, although at the time I didn't know who he was. It was only later, after he started his blog and I saw his photo, that I recognized him as the priest with whom I had shared a laugh over Cardinal Ratzinger having put "the smackdown on heresy" and his recent election as Pope meaning that "the cafeteria is now closed".)



Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
The Wrecks of Walsingham
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 1
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 2
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 3
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 4
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 5
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 6
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 7
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 8

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 9
National Catholic Register on "Our Lady's England"

London: Plans Unveiled for Memorial to Pre-Reformation Shrines [UPDATED]

EWTN Documentary 2008 - "Walsingham: England's Nazareth"

A Memorial in Chelsea to the Marian Shrines Destroyed in the English Reformation

Fr. Finigan's Day Trip to Walsingham

Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham - 24 September

Our Sacred Spaces
Catholic Cultural Heritage Images - Recta Ratio Features Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham
A Couple More Walsingham-Related Posts By Fr. Finigan at The Hermeneutic of Continuity
"Sinne is Where Our Ladye Sate"
Morris Dancing at Walsingham
Our Lady of Walsingham - 24 September
Photos, Postcards, and Mementos of My 2005 Pilgrimage to Walsingham
Some Walsingham Pilgrims Causing Consternation for Residents of Medieval Village
Impressions of England

Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham in Norfolk, England

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 9

Today is the ninth day of the Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walshingham.

Over the past 9 days, I have been praying the Novena, just as I did 5 years ago as I began my pilgrimmage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. I invite you to pray with me during this time leading up to tomorrow's Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Day 9: The Coronation of Our Lady

Intention: For the conversion of England, the Dowry of Mary, and the celebration of the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham

Thoughts: "I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father conferred one on me: you will eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Lk. 22:30). Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Let us pray for the conversion of England, that through the reconciling prayers of Our Lady of Walsingham it may once again be worthy of the title "The Dowry of Mary".

The Prayer of the Feast: Lord God, in the mystery of the Incarnation, Mary conceived your Son in her heart before she conceived Him in her womb. As we, your pilgrim people, rejoice in her patronage, grant that we also may welcome Him into our hearts, and so, like her, be made a holy house fit for His eternal dwelling. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen.

A selection of daily prayers for the Novena:

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.
Hail Mary ...
And the Word was made flesh,
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary ...
Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, by the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Angelus)

All holy and ever-living God, in giving us Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Brother, you gave us Mary, His Mother, to be our Mother also; grant us, we pray you, that we may be worthy of so great a Brother and so dear a Mother. May we come at last to You the Father of us all through Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen. (Roman Catholic Pilgrim Handbook)

O God, our Father, through the Holy Spirit You prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother, Mary, to be a fit dwelling place for Your Son. As we recall with joy her appearing at Walsingham, grant that through her motherly intercession we may be preserved from evil and given health of soul and body. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your Divine Son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. make your name again glorious in the place once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours and many miracles. Pray O holy Mother of God for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed. O Blessed Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen. (Anglican Pilgrim Manual)

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee, it was that Jesus, our Savior and our hope, was given unto the world; and he has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother, intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen. (Prayer for England)

O gracious Lady, glory of Jerusalem, Cypress of Sion and Joy of Israel, Rose of Jericho and Star of Bethlehem, O gracious Lady, our asking do not repel, in mercy all women ever thou dost excel. Therefore, Blessed Lady, grant then thy great grace, to all that thee devoutly visit in this place. Amen. (15th century Prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham)

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 1

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 2

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 3

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 4

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 5

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 6

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 7

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 8

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 2

Today is the second day of the Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walshingham.

Over the next 9 days, I will be praying the Novena, just as I did 5 years ago as I began my pilgrimmage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. I invite you to pray with me during this time leading up to the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Day 2: Our Lady's Visitation to Elizabeth

Intention: To carry and proclaim the Word of God

Thoughts: Bearing in her womb the Savior of mankind, the Word of God Incarnate, Mary went as quickly as she could to greet Elizabeth, her cousin. John leaped in Elizabeth's womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary's soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord. With Elizabeth, and taught by her, we say, "Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk. 1:42).

Prayer: Holy Mary, God-bearer, you went in haste to share the good news of salvation with your cousin, Elizabeth. May we who bear your Son in our hearts possess the same eagerness to share with others the joy that he has given us, so that being filled with the Holy Spirit, we may all rejoice in God, our Savior. Amen.

A selection of daily prayers for the Novena:

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.
Hail Mary ...
And the Word was made flesh,
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary ...
Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, by the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Angelus)

All holy and ever-living God, in giving us Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Brother, you gave us Mary, His Mother, to be our Mother also; grant us, we pray you, that we may be worthy of so great a Brother and so dear a Mother. May we come at last to You the Father of us all through Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen. (Roman Catholic Pilgrim Handbook)

O God, our Father, through the Holy Spirit You prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother, Mary, to be a fit dwelling place for Your Son. As we recall with joy her appearing at Walsingham, grant that through her motherly intercession we may be preserved from evil and given health of soul and body. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your Divine Son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. make your name again glorious in the place once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours and many miracles. Pray O holy Mother of God for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed. O Blessed Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen. (Anglican Pilgrim Manual)

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee, it was that Jesus, our Savior and our hope, was given unto the world; and he has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother, intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen. (Prayer for England)

O gracious Lady, glory of Jerusalem, Cypress of Sion and Joy of Israel, Rose of Jericho and Star of Bethlehem, O gracious Lady, our asking do not repel, in mercy all women ever thou dost excel. Therefore, Blessed Lady, grant then thy great grace, to all that thee devoutly visit in this place. Amen. (15th century Prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham)

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 1

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walsingham - Day 1

In addition to honoring Our Blessed Lady today on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, it is also the first day of the Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Walshingham.

Today, I will begin praying the Novena, just as I did 5 years ago as I began my pilgrimmage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. I invite you to pray with me over the next 9 days leading up to the Feast of Our Lady of Walsingham on 24 September.



Day 1: The Annunciation of The Lord

Intention: For the grace to do the Will of God

Thoughts: Our Lady heard the Word of God and put it into practice. She listened with a disciple's ear and did the Will of God. With Mary, and taught by her, we too pray "Let it be done to me according to Thy Word" (Lk. 1:38).

Prayer: Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Word, intercede for us with your Son, that we may have the grace to seek nothing other than to do His will, and the courage to live out lives in the faith of Him who became incarnate in your womb, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

A selection of daily prayers for the Novena:

The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary ...
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.
Hail Mary ...
And the Word was made flesh,
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary ...
Pray for us O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, by the same Christ our Lord. Amen. (The Angelus)

All holy and ever-living God, in giving us Jesus Christ to be our Savior and Brother, you gave us Mary, His Mother, to be our Mother also; grant us, we pray you, that we may be worthy of so great a Brother and so dear a Mother. May we come at last to You the Father of us all through Jesus Christ Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen. (Roman Catholic Pilgrim Handbook)

O God, our Father, through the Holy Spirit You prepared the body and soul of the glorious Virgin Mother, Mary, to be a fit dwelling place for Your Son. As we recall with joy her appearing at Walsingham, grant that through her motherly intercession we may be preserved from evil and given health of soul and body. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your Divine Son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. make your name again glorious in the place once renowned throughout England by your visits, favours and many miracles. Pray O holy Mother of God for the conversion of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed. O Blessed Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady of Walsingham, intercede for us. Amen. (Anglican Pilgrim Manual)

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and our most gentle Queen and Mother, look down in mercy upon England, thy Dowry, and upon us all who greatly hope and trust in thee. By thee, it was that Jesus, our Savior and our hope, was given unto the world; and he has given thee to us that we might hope still more. Plead for us thy children, whom thou didst receive and accept at the foot of the Cross, O sorrowful Mother, intercede for our separated brethren, that with us in the one true fold they may be united to the Chief Shepherd, the Vicar of thy Son. Pray for us all, dear Mother, that by faith, fruitful in good works, we may all deserve to see and praise God, together with thee in our heavenly home. Amen. (Prayer for England)

O gracious Lady, glory of Jerusalem, Cypress of Sion and Joy of Israel, Rose of Jericho and Star of Bethlehem, O gracious Lady, our asking do not repel, in mercy all women ever thou dost excel. Therefore, Blessed Lady, grant then thy great grace, to all that thee devoutly visit in this place. Amen. (15th century Prayer to Our Lady of Walsingham)

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Twentieth Anniversary of Ex corde Ecclesiae

From the Cardinal Newman Society:

On the Solemnity of the Assumption, August 15, 2010, The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) will commemorate the 20th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s apostolic constitution on Catholic higher education, Ex corde Ecclesiae. CNS has written an extensive Timeline and Background of Ex corde Ecclesiae to mark the anniversary and shed light on the importance of this historic Church constitution.

“The requirements of Ex corde Ecclesiae are of continuing importance for Catholic colleges and universities in 2010,” said CNS President Patrick J. Reilly. “We are still in the midst of the educational crisis to which Ex corde responded 20 years ago, and we await full implementation of the constitution’s ‘norms’ in the U.S. In order to rediscover the Catholic identity of their colleges and universities, presidents and board members must revisit the vital message of this landmark document.”

Reilly continued, “A new generation of Catholic administrators, professors and students are already reaping the fruit of strong Catholic identity brought about by adherence to Ex corde. Catholic colleges and universities included in our Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College have worked to integrate the principles of Ex corde into every aspect of their institutions.”

“On this anniversary, CNS and its more than 20,000 members continue to pray that more Catholic university leaders will embrace Ex corde Ecclesiae and courageously stand up for Catholic teaching in a world that is so desperately searching for the Truth.”

On August 15, 1990, Pope John Paul II responded to the decades-long crisis in Catholic higher education by issuing the apostolic constitution Ex corde Ecclesiae. The document, which has the binding effect of Church law, was the first official Catholic Church document defining the essential relationship between Catholic institutions of higher education and the Church.

Inspired by the message of Ex corde Ecclesiae, Patrick J. Reilly and other recent Catholic college graduates founded The Cardinal Newman Society in 1993 to seek the faithful implementation of the apostolic constitution in the United States.Ex corde Ecclesiae’s guidelines include:

· the requirement for any official action of a Catholic university to be in harmony with its Catholic identity;

· the responsibility of all Catholic university professors and administrators to promote, or at least to respect, the institution’s Catholic identity;

· the need of all professors of Catholic theology to have a “mandate” from the local bishop to teach; and

· the requirement that Catholic professors should be in the majority at a Catholic university.

In 1999, the U.S. bishops approved clear guidelines to implement Ex corde. Since then, it is evident that most of Catholic higher education is still undergoing the crisis that Ex corde was issued to address.

CNS continues to report on the abuses of Catholic identity that take place across the United States every year. Recent examples such as Notre Dame’s bestowal of an honorary doctorate of law upon pro-abortion President Barack Obama, the increasing support for abortion and gay “marriage” among Catholic students, and the fact that nearly one in eight Catholics leave the Church by their graduation from Catholic colleges demonstrate that the “educational emergency,” in Pope Benedict XVI’s words, is still prevalent.

Two years ago, during his visit to the United States of America, Pope Benedict XVI convened a meeting of Catholic college and university presidents in Washington, D.C., where he echoed key themes of Ex corde on the importance of Catholic identity. The Holy Father told the Catholic presidents that the current “crisis of truth” is rooted in a “crisis of faith.”

In 2011, the U.S. bishops are scheduled to conduct a review of the implementation of Ex corde Ecclesiae over the past 10 years since their particular guidelines for American institutions went into effect. Details for this review have not yet been made public.

CNS narrates the story of Ex corde Ecclesiae and its implementation in the Timeline and Background of Ex corde Ecclesiae.